A Delray Beach family is demanding accountability from the city after discovering that a burial plot they had purchased years ago at the Delray Beach Municipal Cemetery was sold and used to bury someone else.
The discovery has caused significant heartbreak for Delila Kellum and her family, who were unable to fulfill her father's final wish to be buried next to his brother.
"It's just heartbreak; it's upsetting," Kellum told WPTV. "We can't bury him where he wanted, so we haven’t really decided what to do."
WPTV's Zitlali Solache has been covering multiple concerns involving the cemetery's overcapacity, maintenance, and record-keeping, pressing the city for answers.
WATCH: Family seeks answers after pre-purchased burial plot was sold to someone else
A painful discovery
The issue began in 2010 when Kellum and her sister took their father to visit his late brother's grave. Their parents had purchased two adjacent plots.
"When we took him to there, we got out and looked at the stone and when we look over... we noticed somebody was buried in my mother’s spot," Kellum said.
The family immediately contacted the city but were told the body could not be moved. According to Kellum, a supervisor offered them two different plots and promised to provide new deeds.
"To this day we've never seen them," Kellum said. "My sister tried to contact them when my father passed, but nothing."
When her father died in 2024, the family was faced with a devastating reality. "We couldn't put him in his spot next to his brother, we had to get him cremated," she explained, adding they skipped a proper funeral.
Kellum said her mother suffers from dementia and is unaware of the distressing situation.
"Now we’re just gonna wait for my mother to pass and have it together," she said.
A history of problems
This is not the first time the Kellum family has encountered issues with the cemetery's record-keeping. Kellum said they have also struggled to locate the grave of her grandfather, a Pearl Harbor veteran.
Although the city initially denied he was buried there, Kellum stated that funeral home officials provided documents proving his interment at the Delray Beach Municipal Cemetery.
"We went to go try to find him and we couldn't find him," she said.
The family has documents, including a deed from 1994, which they believe prove their ownership of the original plots.
City hires consultant to address concerns
The Kellum family's experience is part of a larger pattern of concerns WPTV has been following regarding burial records, capacity and maintenance at the city-run cemetery.
In response to these issues, the city of Delray Beach has hired Kuehne Cemetery Consulting to conduct an independent assessment of the cemetery's operations.
According to a statement from the city, the review will cover administration, record-keeping, maintenance, customer service, and financial sustainability. The firm will provide a report with prioritized recommendations for immediate and long-term improvements.
A community meeting to discuss the cemetery is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 30.
For Kellum, the actions are long overdue. She wants the city to be held responsible for the distress her family has endured.
"They should be held accountable for what they've done all these years," she said. "I'd just like to put my parents where they're supposed to be."
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